I Believe

Monday, January 25, 2016

The Power of The Book of Mormon

This week our mission finished reading the Book of Mormon in 30 days. We'd been given an extra hour to read and it's been an amazing experience! I also started reading the Tongan Book of Mormon this week to read it straight through. It's crazy because I remember reading the first few chapters of the Tongan Book of Mormon before I entered the MTC and wanting to know what all the words meant. And at that point, other than the few words I picked out from comparing it with the English one, those words had no meaning to me. Now, they mean so much to me. I understand what it's talking about! The Tongan Language is so powerful! I feel the Spirit so strong as I read. It's truly beautiful. I'm still learning all the vocab in the Book of Mormon but it's amazing to think that words that didn't mean anything to me as of just 4 months ago are now part of my vocabulary and I am able to express my thoughts using those words. The Book of Mormon is so powerful.

My Christ-like attribute for this month to focus on is "Knowledge". It's incredible because as we gain more knowledge through study and faith (like for me studying the doctrines of the gospel and the language) we become more capable instruments of the Lord. We're able to be brighter vessels for the Spirit to work through. The Spirit is the real teacher. Literally can't do it without His help.

Upgraded Shower this Week: Bucket shower --> Cold shower from the shower head --> heated shower!! They just came and installed a water heater in the shower this week. Living the life haha!

Question for the week: WHY is it important for us to accept Christ as our Savior and Redeemer?

President came out to Eua this week and we discussed this question. It's important for our investigators to understand the answer to this question. In the Baptismal Interview we ask "Do you believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer of the world?" They may answer yes, but do they really understand why? Do we really understand why? When people know the why they will then do the how. We focus on this question in the first principle in lesson #3. I really enjoyed my studies on this question this week and chapter 3 in Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage had a lot of very good insights.

I'm grateful to be a part of this work. It is amazing and such a privilege. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I know this is His work.

Heart, Might, Mind, & Strength

"My mission belongs to the Lord. With all my heart I give my energy and my time to the Master because I love Him. Therefore, I'm going to look at every day not as mine, but as His. And I will treat each minute of his time with respect and focus and the dedication that it deserves."